Steps to Fix Dual Boot Option Not Showing in Windows 10

This practical guide walks through steps to fix dual boot option not showing in Windows 10, explains the main requirements, and highlights common issues that may appear along the way.

1. Activate the boot menu with Command Prompt

If the boot menu was somehow disabled, you won't see the dual boot option appear. The boot menu may be disabled after upgrading to the latest version of the operating system.

Fortunately, you can use the Windows command processing tool to enable the boot menu.

To activate the boot menu using Command Prompt:

Step 1: Type cmd in the Windows search bar, right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator to open Command Prompt with admin rights.

Step 2: In the Command Prompt window , type the command listed below and press Enter key .

bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu yes

Step 3: After successful implementation, you will see a message that the operation has completed successfully.

If you're curious about what you just ran, BCDEdit is a command-line-based utility for managing BCD (Boot Configuration Data). When executed, it changes the boot configuration and activates the boot menu.

To deactivate or hide the boot menu, open Command Prompt with admin rights and enter the following command:

bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu no

Once executed, the system will boot into the set default OS without showing dual boot option.

2. Default OS Configuration in Startup and Recovery

Windows 10's Advanced System Settings window allows you to choose the default operating system to boot into. It can also display a list of operating systems and recovery options during reboots.

Configuring these settings can help you fix the problem of missing dual boot option in Windows 10.

To configure the default operating system in Windows 10:

Step 1: Press Win + I to open Settings.

Step 2: Then, go to System and open the About tab from the left pane.

Step 3: Scroll down to the Related settings section and click on Advanced system settings . On an older Windows 10 computer, go to Control Panel > System and Security and click Advanced system settings on the left.

Step 4: In the System Properties window , find the Startup and Recovery section and click the Settings button .

Step 5: In the Startup and Recover window , click the Default operating system drop-down menu and select your preferred operating system .

Step 6: Next, tick the option Time to display list of operating systems and set it to 30 seconds. This setting means your computer will display the boot menu for 30 seconds. When this time has elapsed, it will load the selected operating system as default.

Step 7: Click OK to save the changes.

Step 8: Restart the computer and wait for the boot menu to appear. Next, select the preferred operating system using the arrow keys and press the Enter key . If you don't make any selections before 30 seconds, your computer will load the default operating system set.

3. Configure the startup manager with EasyBCD

Sometimes the bcdedit command won't work. It can't activate the boot menu or won't work even after showing the success message.

In this case, you can use a third-party utility called EasyBCD to add a boot. EasyBCD is a lightweight program for the Windows platform and is free to use for non-commercial purposes.

To add a boot entry using EasyBCD:

Step 2: EasyBCD is available in Commercial and Non-commercial versions. Click Register to download the free version, then enter your email address and username to download the tool.

Step 3: Run the installer and wait for the application to finish installing on your computer.

Step 4: Launch EasyBCD and click the Edit Boot Menu button .

Step 5: Here you will see a dual boot entry listed by default. To change the default operating system, check the box under the Default column for the entry you want to set as default.

Step 6: In the Options Menu , select the Use Metro bootloader option .

Step 7: Select Count down from and set it to 30 seconds.

Step 8: Click Save Settings , and you will see the message Bootloader settings saved successfully .

Close EasyBCD and restart the PC. During reboot you will see boot menu with dual boot option. If this option still doesn't show up, boot into Windows and launch EasyBCD. Repeat steps 4 - 8 again and restart the computer.

4. Turn off Windows' Fast Startup feature

The Fast Startup feature in Windows 10 helps you restart your PC faster after shutting down. When enabled, it saves the operating system to a hibernation file to speed up the boot process. It's a handy feature to have on older systems, especially if your system takes a long time to reboot.

However, it also has some disadvantages. When Fast Startup is enabled, Windows will lock the installation drive. As a result, Windows may not recognize the operating system on a dual-boot configured system.

To turn off the Fast Startup feature, follow the instructions in the article: How to turn off Fast Startup on Windows 10 and Windows 8.1/8.

After successfully disabling, restart the PC and wait for the dual boot option to appear.